The Baku's Servant
by Perfect-Wretched
Summary: Just a small fic about my favorite character from Nightmare Inspector; Tsukishiro.   There is /no/ OCxTsukishiro. Rated T for slight use of curses.  foiled again!/shot
1. Serve Me

Tsukishiro stretched and yawned. It was nighttime, now, the time that he usually saw fit to stroll around the neighboring town and perhaps make a feast for himself. He sat up from his bed and grabbed his cane, careful with the spherical crystal held in small clasps near to where the wood began to curve.

"I suppose I should check on the dreamers." he said to himself, shrugging his cloak on and walking outside.

His house was a nice one, well-kept but fairly empty of furniture; he never used it unless he was sleeping or breeding dreams. He skipped down the few stairs until he was fully outside, and took a deep breath.

"What a lovely night," he murmured.

In the middle of what one could call his backyard, rimmed by forest, was a well-like structure, built into the ground. He walked over to it and leaned at the waist, his cane held delicately behind him and his white hair gleaming in the moonlight. Hideous moans drifted up to him from the pit, people clawing at the edges and reaching towards him.

"I'm scared," they whispered. "Please-"

"Help me-"

"-so scary-"

"I want to go home!-"

Tsukishiro waved cheekily. "Having terrible nightmares, I hope." he replied, tossing a few handfuls of food down into the pit. "Eat up. I don't want you to die just yet."

The moans intensified, and suddenly, a sound arose from a small ring of bushes nearby. Tsukishiro turned his head questioningly, and straightened. "Well." he said, frowning. "What have we here?"

In a few strides, he was beside the bushes, and became completely still, listening for the sound again. A second crept by, followed by another, when-

There.

He reached forward, ligtening fast, and grabbed ahold of something warm and soft that had been hiding in the shubbery. He yanked, hard, and the whole thing fell out. It was a young girl, probably somewhere around 17 or 18. When he's grabbed onto her arm, she'd made a peculiar sound that was in between a 'squeak' and a 'eep' that amused Tsukishiro deeply.

"I'msorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorry!" she babbled, hiding her face with her hands. "I was curious! I'd heard the stories about a baku who lived in these woods, and I wanted to see for myself and I'm really sorry! I won't tell anyone, I swear!"

She must have been a foreigner, or at least partially. Her hair was oddly long, and a soft, blonde color that appeared almost white in the moonlight. She wore a traditional kimono, like the ladies in town, but it was more tattered than any outift Tsukishiro had ever seen. Her feet were bare, and there was a scrape that bled freely on her left arm.

Her words suddenly registered, and Tsukishiro laughed. "Tell anyone?" he repeated. "Everyone already knows. Who, exactly, are you going to tell?" He didn't let go of her arm, still pondering if he should make her a breeder, too, or perhaps just let her go.

The girl lowered her hands and peered at him through the fingers. "I-I-I don't know.." she whimpered. "But please, Baku-sama, don't eat me."

"Tsukishiro." he corrected coldly. "And bakus don't eat people, you stupid girl."

She seemed to sense that his patience was wearing out, and shuddered. "I'm really sorry, Tsukishiro-sama." she whispered. "Please just let me go."

His grip on her arm tightened, earning another 'squea-eep' from the girl, and he turned his head, holding his chin thoughtfully with his other hand. "I don't see why I should." he said finally. "I think I should just add you in with the other nightmare breeders."

As if on cue, the piteous moans from the pit increased, and the girl shuddered violently again.

"Please!" she begged desperately."Please, I'll do anything!"

Tsukishiro continued to think._ Well,_ he reasoned,_I suppose, if she was willing to do anything...She is human, after all, and they tend to value their lives alot._

"Marry me," he said finally. "Marry me and become my servant. You can clean the house when it's dirty, protect me while I sleep, and feed the breeders. In return, I won't kill you and I will protect you from any other bakus."

The girl froze. "M-Marry?" she repeated incredulously. "But...but why?"

"Simple. If you marry me first, then if you run away, I'll have more rights to you than if you just _said_ you'd serve me. Women don't have any rights, especially when married, and being married to me would make you no less of a servant than if I just registered you as a worker. Besides," he smiled amiably, "I don't have to pay you if you're legally my wife."

The girl blinked rapidly. "But-"

Tsukishiro tutted and yanked her arm closer, crouching down beside her. "I'll make this easy for you," he said, his tone suddenly very serious. "You have two options. Marry me and become my servant, or become a breeding ground for nightmares."

The girl looked over his shoulder and swallowed hard. Then, she bowed her head and her shoulders and arms went limp. "Okay." she said finally. "I will become your servant, Tsukishiro-sama."

"And my wife," he added. "Though I'm not human, and I find human beings disgusting, so you won't be sharing my bed."

He grimaced at the thought. _Humans do some disgusting things_, he thought disdainfully. _And if this girl ever tries anything, I'll kill her outright._


	2. A Day in the Life

-two years later-

Hoshiko felt something jab into her cheek, not enough to be forceful, but enough to begin dragging her back to consciousness. She mumbled unintelligibly and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. She had been having such a lovely dream...

With a _'THWACK!_' the Something smacked her over the head smartly, jolting her awake. Her room was bright, now, the sun shining into it, despite the curtains.

"It's morning," a dry, familiar voice said, "Get. Up."

Hoshiko rolled back around and peered drowsily at the figure before her, standing in the only bit of shade that existed in her room. He hadn't changed, she thought with a hint of humor. Never, in the two years she'd been with him, had he even gotten a hairstyle change.

His eyes were slanted, so it appeared that he always had his eyes closed. His hair was white, and long, pulled back into a small ponytail at the base of his neck by a black ribbon. Two bangs rose in front of his forehead and brushed his face gently.

He wore a chinese-style shirt under a strange cloak-outfit that was white and rimmed with designs, coupled with a pair of odd shoes. In his hand, as always, was his cane; dark wood and a spherical crystal about 4/5s of the way up.

At the moment, he was holding it above his head menacingly, with a grim look on his face that declared he meant buisness.

"Mmm...morning?" Hoshiko repeated slowly. "Already?"

"Yes. Morning." Tsukishiro made a face and dropped his cane, holding it behind him and bending at the waist over the girl. "And the dreamers need feeding."

Hoshiko sighed and nodded, slowly pulling herself out of bed. She began sifting through her belongings, looking for something to tie her abundance of pale blonde hair back. Tsukishiro kept his cane behind him and straightened, a disdainful look on his face.

"You could help," she offered, as was their custom.

The edge of his mouth tugged up into a grin.

"I could." was the reply.

When she'd finally located a ribbon, she pulled her hair into a semblance of order and walked up beside him, offering her arm. He took it, hanging his cane alongside his own arm, and they promptly strolled down the hall to his room.

Hoshiko opened the door for him and held it as he walked inside.

"I made the bed," she commented. "And cleaned a bit. It was really gloomy in here."

It was always musty in his room. The thick curtains blocked out the sunlight and kept any slivers of light from penetrating, and the room itself was empty, save for a bed near the walk-in closet.

Tsukishiro leaned his cane against the wall and flopped onto the bed comically. "Pooh." he mused, pouting. "I like the gloom."

Hoshiko chuckled softly. "Good morning." she said, closing the door.

"Good morning." he mumbled, already drifting off on top of the sheets.

As she shut the door behind her, Hoshiko sighed. He was so strange. It wasn't just his habits or the fact that he was a dream-eating baku, it was his _attitude_. He could be deadly serious one minute, then childish the next, always playing the part of the stereotypical bad guy.

She didn't mind it, though, she pondered as she set about her daily chores. Tsukishiro didn't really care about the state of the house, but she cleaned it anyway, for lack of anything better to do. Mostly, he wanted her to feed and talk to what he called 'Nightmare Breeders' or just 'dreamers'.

"If you don't feed them and talk to them," she recited from endless lessons, "they rot."

She shuddered. After all this time, they still gave her the creeps. They were just people, she reasoned, but it did nothing to soothe her nerves. Doomed souls, is what she thought of them. Something she would have been, too, if Tsukishiro had decided that he didn't like her after all.


	3. Hoshiko meets Hifumi & Naamu

Hoshiko had finished with the day's chores and was feeling a little light-headed. She decided that she was going to make lunch for herself and see if that didn't help things.

"Tsukishiro-sama," she called, tapping on his door.

A muffled curse could be heard from the other side of the door, then there was silence. Hoshiko waited patiently to the count of fifty before she knocked again.

"Tsuki-"

The door was flung open, and in the doorway stood a very disheveled and angry baku. His silvery hair had been pulled out of its ponytail and flowed around his shoulders, and he had taken off his cloak, wearing a strange shirt and shorts combination in its place.

"WHAT?" he hissed.

Hoshiko bowed respectively. "May I go the market to get some food?" she asked. "I'm sorry to wake you up."

Tsukishiro muttered something under his breath, then waved his hand dismissively. "Be back before dark." he grumbled, running a hand through his hair sleepily.

She bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Tsukishiro-sama," and left, hearing the door slam shut behind her and the squeal of old bed springs.

She loved going into the market. There were so many sights and sounds, so many people to meet. Since Tsukishiro didn't need to eat, there was never any food in the house, and Hoshiko was in charge of feeding herself.

She picked up a small keg of rice, and a basket of fish, paying for them both and smiling at the vendors. Being without any human company for a while could be tiresome, she thought. It never hurts to be among your own kind.

Suddenly, a cat came dashing through her legs and around her feet, where she tumbled down with everything falling ontop of her. The smell of fish was strong, as there was a salmon stuck to her face, and there was sticky rice in her hair.

"I'm so sorry!" a voice said, helping her up. "Naamu hates taking baths."

Hoshiko peeled the fish off her and smiled aplogetically. "It's alright," she said. "I'm fine."

The person who'd helped her up was a young man, probably somewhere in his early twenties. He wore elaborate robes and his hair was cut neatly. In his hand was a fancy cigarette that trailed smoke.

The cat who'd tripped her dashed by again, and he caught it, throwing himself down in the process. "Naamu!" he scolded. "Don't go around tripping people!"

Hoshiko stifled a laugh, and the young man looked up, smiling. "Here," he said, pulling out a coin purse that jingled loudly. "I'll pay to replace the food."

"Oh, no, it's okay!'" she exclaimed. "You don't have to go through the trouble-"

The man waved off her protests. "It's alright. My family's rich. I can spare the money. I'm Hifumi, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Hoshiko blinked and blushed. "Th-thank you.." she bowed quickly. "My name is Hoshiko."

"Hoshiko, huh?" Hifumi looked at her sideways. "I've never seen you around here before."

"I don't come to town a whole lot. I live up in the forest." she pointed towards the dense trees.

Suddenly, Hifumi's face darkened. "Are you sure it's safe up there?" he asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a baku that lives up there. His name's Tsukishiro." Hifumi paid for her fish, handing it to her, but not looking her in the eye. He seemed to be remembering something painful. "You should stay away from him."

Hoshiko blinked, then began to laugh. She tried to keep it down to a polite chuckle, but it slipped out a little more than she intended to. Hifumi's face turned red.

"What?" he demanded. "What's so funny?"

"I don't mind him," she explained through giggles. "Though it's nice of you to be so worried."

"He's not someone to joke around about, Miss-" Hifumi began, his face serious.

"Tsukishiro-sama would never do anything to hurt me." she explained. "I'm his servant."

Hifumi stared at her in utter shock. He turned his head to the left, then to the right, and leaned forward conspiratorily. "I get it," he whispered. "Alright, if you come with me, I can hide you-"

Hoshiko shook her head and smiled politely. "No, thank you." she said. "It's okay, Hifumi-san. Thank you for your offer. But I promised Tsukishiro-sama that I'd be back before dark."

She turned and began walking towards the trail, a new keg of rice and a new basket of fish in her hands. "Let me know if there's any way I could repay you for your kindness!" she called, bowing.

As she made her way back up to the house, she couldn't help but smile. Poor Hifumi. He was probably still wondering how on earth she'd managed to survive this long with someone as infamous as Tsukishiro. Still, his concern was nice, and a breath of fresh air compared to a baku's dull comments.


	4. What Do You Think of Me?

By the time Hoshiko had traveled up the hill and through the forest to the old house, the sun was already about to set. She turned and paused for a moment to admire the view, then continued to the house itself.

She set the rice keg down on the floor of what was once a pantry, and rested the basket of fish on her hip.

The moans from the pit in the backyard had intensified during her absence and Hoshiko shivered. She walked daintily and carefully to the edge.

"One moment," she called. "I'll have some nice fish and rice for you in just a minute."

With that, she walked back over to grab a bowl-full of rice and some fish. In a few minutes, she had a fairly sizeable platter of sushi in her hands and was walking back down to the pit.

She opened the top carefully and tossed the dreamers three pieces each. Some didn't eat, but instead reached towards her, begging, pleading, crying, and threatening.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and closed the top. She always hated having to feed them. If she pretended that they weren't people, that they were monsters of some sort, she could tune them out and be fine. But sometimes, they spoke to her with real words in real voices, and she couldn't help but feel like she was the monster instead.

She stood up and went to wash her hands and put the rest of the fish away.

Now the sun was just barely dipping under the horizon, and Hoshiko thought she'd sit on the porch and watch it go down. She sighed at the beauty of it all. The setting sun bathed the forest in colors mankind had no names for, and it reflected off of the trees, the rocks, and the water, until it appeared that the whole world was glowing.

When the sun gave up with a sigh and fell to night, Hoshiko got back up and stretched. It was time to wake Tsukishiro up.

She tiptoed lightly to his door and tapped on it gently.

"Tsukishiro-sama," she crooned. "It's nighttime."

There was silence.

She tapped again, a little louder. "Tsukishiro-sama. Wake up, please."

Again, there was no reply from the other side of the door.

Hoshiko took a deep breath and opened the door softly so it wouldn't creak. The room was so dark, it made it hard to see, but the light from the hallway was enough to illuminate his silvery hair and reassure Hoshiko that he was in there. As she stepped in, she resisted the urge to laugh.

He was sprawled out on top of the covers, on his back, his hands curled around his cane as though it were a precious toy. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was ever-so quiet, his mouth slightly open. One leg dangled off the bed comically and the other lay tangled up in sheets.

He looked innocent. Peaceful, even.

"Tsukishiro-sama?" she whispered, creeping close. "Wake up, please..."

She didn't go any closer than about two feet from the bed, aware that if he awoke in anger, it would be in her best interest to stay out of arm's reach.

She knew he could hear her, then, and that he was only partially asleep; his breathing had changed slightly. She settled down on the floor and bowed, her forehead touching the floor.

"Good night, Tsukishiro-sama," she greeted.

His eyes opened slowly, and he stared at the ceiling, his lids half-lowered.

"How did you know I was awake, Hoshiko?" he asked, his tone suprisingly calm.

"Your breathing," she replied, sitting back up. "It changes when you do that."

He chuckled breathily and closed his eyes again. "I don't want to get up."

"You must be hungry," she said respectfully. "You should get up, Tsukishiro-sama."

He was quiet for so long, Hoshiko had to strain her hearing and see if his breathing had changed again. However, it was the same, steady rhythm that he adopted once awake.

"Hoshiko..." he mumbled. "What do you think of me?"

Hoshiko was suprised at such an odd question. What did she think of him? She wasn't here to think. She fumbled for a response, and finally, hesitantly, replied; "You are my master."

"Tch." he made a face and rolled over so he was on his stomach, gazing at her intently from on top of the sheets. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I am sorry," she bowed again. "I'm not sure how to answer."

"Answer honestly," was the reply. "Am I a monster to you? Do I scare you?"

Hoshiko thought hard. Was he? "No, Tsukishiro-sama. You don't scare me."

He gave her an odd look. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked finally.

"Get what?"

"I'm not asking for you to answer yes-or-no questions. I want you to answer what you think," he insisted, "stupid girl."

Hoshiko paused again, staring at the floor. What did she think? He was her master, after all. What did she feel?

"Ahm..." she shifted her legs. "I think...I think that you're just different." she managed to get out. "Different from everyone else. And just because you're different, it doesn't mean you're a monster. You have your reasons for what you do, Tsukishiro-sama. So no, I don't think you're a monster. I do respect you, though."

Tsukishiro stared at her for a moment, then sighed and rolled so he was sitting upright.

"My ribbon," he said. "Help me find it."

"Yes, Tsukishiro-sama." Hoshiko helped him rummage through the tangled mess of sheets until they found his black ribbon that he used to pull his hair back.

He tied his hair up, found his cloak, and put it on.

"I'm going to get something to eat," he stated, walking out the door. "Get some sleep."

Hoshiko stood up and bowed. "Good night, Tsukishiro-sama." she said gently.

He paused for a minute, then waved and smiled cheekily. "Good night, Hoshiko-chan."


	5. The Festival Pt 1

_**A/N: I'm back on with this story for the simple reason that one, count 'em, one person is following it. So sue me. Plus, I'm bored. And I don't feel like updating the other one.**_

"Get up."

Hoshiko felt someone shaking her shoulder, gently but somewhat forcefully, as though they weren't used to having to be patient. She thought about waking up, but the soft lull of sleep pulled her under again, murmuring a lullaby in her ear.

The someone cursed sharply before shaking her again, less gentle this time. "_Kuso*_. Hoshiko. Get up, you lazy human."

"Eh?" Hoshiko mumbled, tiredness beginning to fade from her vision and making her more awake. "Tsukishiro-sama?"

"Who else would it be?" he snapped.

Her eyes cleared and she could see him hovering over her, his eyes serious and a slight frown dragging his lips downwards. His hair was still pulled back into its customary ponytail, and he still wore the same clothes, but in the hand that didn't hold his cane was a beautiful yukata.

It was a combination of sunset orange, peach, red, and every color in between, patterned with the discreet outlines of koi. Hoshiko sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking at the baku.

"Tsukishiro-sama?" she said again, looking around to see, with surprise, that it was still night. "What's the matter? Do you need help with something?"

He hesitated, then, averting his eyes from hers. He almost looked embarrassed, which was unusual to say in the least. After a few seconds of silence, he closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitting together in an expression of frustration and he sighed.

"I've decided," he began icily, "that you spend too much time with me."

Hoshiko blinked. "Ah? What do you mean?"

He looked back up at her, his face unreadable. "You don't realize what I am to other humans. You don't fit. One day, Hoshiko, I'm going to leave. It gets boring, being in one place all the time. And when I leave, I won't take you with me. I want-"

He paused, as though he couldn't believe what he was about to say, "I want you to be a human."

Hoshiko stared at him for a moment, then laughed, albeit somewhat nervously. She shook her head, sending her pale blond hair in disjointed ripples from the mess she'd thrown it into from sleeping. "But I am a human," she replied. "You say so yourself, all the time, Tsukishiro-sama."

"No. You're not. You are not normal," he replied sharply. "You need to learn. Which is why…"

He looked to the side again and mumbled the last part. Hoshiko wasn't sure what to make of his behavior. It was like he was having an internal war over something.

"What's the yukata for, Tsukishiro-sama?" she asked carefully, pulling on it gently to remind him of its existence. "Which is why what?"

"I…I'm…taking you to the…festival…" he mumbled, his tone almost dangerous. It was obvious now that he'd rather go anywhere else. Anywhere but a place filled with laughing humans, and not a bite to be had of nightmares. "And that's why I have this…"

He stood up and turned to leave, quite suddenly, his expression full of thunder. Hoshiko felt that she couldn't make head nor tail of what he was trying to get at, but at the word 'festival', her heart lept. She'd seen it, sometimes, when she couldn't sleep; the bright lights, the laughter, the song, drifting up to her lonely room. But she had never asked him to go, knowing that her place wasn't with them, but here, to serve him.

"Tsuki-"

"Put it on." He interrupted, tossing the yukata at her from the doorway. "We leave in five minutes."

The yukata flew through the air like a shimmering koi of its pattern and landed wispily on Hoshiko's head, sending a few stray hairs of hers drifting about. She looked at Tsukishiro for a moment, stunned. Why was he doing this? Of course, he'd said it was for when he left, but he really wasn't going to leave, was he?

Panic wrapped its icy fingers around her throat and she reached out for him, crying, "Wait! Tsukishiro-sama!"

He stuck his head back in, leaning on his cane for balance. "What is it?"

"I…I…" Hoshiko took a breath. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

He blinked lazily at her, not unlike a cat's blink, then pulled back to the hallway and called, "Five minutes, girl, or I'm leaving you here."

Hoshiko felt a faint smile tinge her lips. _He's glad I like it,_ she thought to herself. She buried her face in the silken fabric and inhaled deeply, breathing in the strange smell of it. It was an act of kindness, she knew. They were rare, but they existed, and she treasured every moment of it.

"Yes, Tsukishiro-sama," she replied to the empty air. "I won't be late."

_*Kuso= Dammit_

_**A/N: Know your swear words, kids. I actually caught that one from DRRR. 8D It was a learning experience. I now can say, "dammit, Izaya" in Japanese. Woo. *waves small victory flag* I don't really like this chapter. It's necessary for the scenes that come after, but I it's my least favorite so far. **_

_**Their relationship is really difficult to accurately portray.**_


End file.
